The number of cyclists killed or seriously injured increased by nearly a fifth
in the spring, Government figures have shown.

According to the Department for Transport 820 cyclists died or were badly hurt between April and June, compared to 586, in the same period last year.

The rise coincided with the growing popularity of cycling as a combination of soaring higher petrol prices and concern about carbon emissions saw many commuters swap four wheels for two.

Motoring groups and safety experts believe the sudden spike has been exacerbated by the sudden surge in the number of novice cyclists getting on their bikes without the training needed to cope with traffic in big cities.

Evans Cycles, one of the country's leading retailers, said that sales were up 20 per cent up on last year, with the company having opened four new stores to accommodate growing demand.

"The biggest area of growth for us is the sale of commuting bikes as people abandon crowded, unreliable public transport and expensive to run cars. And it's this group of Monday to Friday cyclists that are clocking up the most miles," a spokesman said.

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"There will be some naivety among some of these cyclists, " said Andrew Howard, head of road safety at the AA. "They probably last rode a bike when they were at school and have little experience of riding alongside a lorry."

Robert Gifford, executive director of the Parliamentary Council for Transport Safety, believes this means that training is essential.

"With more people taking up cycling again, there should be refresher course and more help offered to those who are getting on their bike for the first time," said

"We do know that there has been an increase in deaths of cyclists in London, often involved in incidents with lorries especially cement mixers and trucks carrying skips. With the continuing construction because of the Olympics, the position is not going to improve."

The Department for Transport has commissioned a long term study into cycling safety. It is looking to identify who is cycling and how their safety could be improved.

Already researchers have identified several categories from the novice who gets onto a bike with great reluctance, stays close to the kerb, remains nervous of traffic and frequently wobbles.

At the other extreme is the super-confident cyclist - occasionally dubbed "lycra lout" - who frequently ignores traffic signals, sometimes cycles on the pavement or the wrong way up one-way streets.

The DfT said the figures, which were an estimate, should not be taken in isolation, adding that the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured each year had fallen by 31 per cent since the mid-1990s.

“The number of people cycling is increasing - cycle traffic rose by 12 per cent between 2007 and 2008 – and this is likely to be a factor in the estimated number of casualties for the beginning of this year,” a spokesman said.

"However, we take road safety extremely seriously and are working to improve safety for cyclists in a number of ways, including investing in the provision of cycle training and planning to encourage local authorities to introduce more 20mph zones in residential areas and around schools.